Episode 97: How Artists Build Real Fans In China (Platforms, Strategy & What Actually Works)
5/12/202648 min
China can look like the biggest opportunity in music and the easiest place to get lost. I sit down with Jonathan Heeter, who runs Middle8, an outsourced China division for Western labels and artists, to translate what actually works on the ground and what Western playbooks get wrong.
We map the Chinese music streaming landscape through Tencent’s QQ Music ecosystem and NetEase Cloud Music, then dig into why discovery algorithms can feel more sophisticated while staying stubbornly opaque. The real unlock is measurement: when public streaming data is limited, engagement becomes the signal. Jonathan explains why comments on tracks matter, what “memetic behaviour” looks like across Chinese platforms, and how that turns into measurable fandom you can take to promoters and brands.
From there we move into monetisation and deal structure. China’s music business often operates holistically, optimising total revenue across streaming, touring, brand partnerships and IP, rather than treating each income stream as a silo. We also get practical about sync licensing in China, why buyouts are common, and why commissioned brand integrations can be far more lucrative than chasing back-end pennies. Finally, we cover must-know platforms for music marketing in China, including Red Note (Xiaohongshu), WeChat, Bilibili and Weibo, plus the realities of expensive paid media and real-name verification rules.
If you’re an artist, manager, label or publisher building a China strategy, this is your roadmap. Subscribe for more music business insight, share this with someone planning an international campaign, and leave a review with the one China question you still want answered.
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJonathan Heeter· Guest0:00
[upbeat music] The Music Business Buddy. Ba, na, na, oh. The Music Business Buddy.
Jonny Amos· Host0:11
[audience clapping] Hello, and welcome to the Music Business Buddy with me, Jonny Amos, podcasting out of Birmingham in England. I'm the author of the book, "The Music Business for Music Creators." I'm a music creator myself. I'm an industry consultant, an artist manager, and a senior lecturer in both music business and music creation. Wherever you are and whatever you do, consider yourself welcome to this podcast and to a part of this community. My goal is simple, everybody, to try and inspire and educate music creators from all over the world in their quest to achieving their goals by gaining a greater understanding of the business of music. Okay. I have a tantalizing session for you today. Uh, I am joined by a remarkable guest by the name of Jonathan Hita. He doesn't like compliments, by the way, but he better get used to it in this episode 'cause I'm gonna give him many. He is outstanding. He is such an impressive person. So what does he do? He runs an agency called Middle8, which is ironically a team of eight people, but I don't think that's where the name came from. They are a China division for artists and labels from the Western world. Now, let's just think about it like this. I have long thought for many years that China must be the biggest music market in the world, given how many people are there